Layaway pay away spreads holiday cheer

“It makes my heart swell … to know I can help someone who has a limited (holiday) budget.”

— Stephanie Bernstein

By Devin Fisher

Garrison Public Affairs Office

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Pvt. Angel Rosa, 759th Military Police Battalion, and his son, Diego, 4, are all smiles after they are given their cart full of goodies during a Pay Away the Layaway surprise event Nov. 29, 2018, at the Fort Carson Exchange. Rosa was one of 29 Fort Carson Army and Air Force Exchange Service shoppers to have their holiday layaway balances paid in full through the program. (Photo by Devin Fisher)

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Twenty-nine military Families received early holiday presents during a Nov. 29, 2018, surprise event as they were presented with their layaway merchandise and told their balances had been paid in full.

The Fort Carson Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) teamed up with Pay Away the Layaway and called in Santa Claus to help spread holiday cheer during the event held in the Exchange lobby.

“Today we will make 29 Families very happy,” said Lawrence E. Simmons Jr., general manager, AAFES Colorado Springs Exchange, just prior to the announcement. “They have no idea why they are here.”

AAFES staff called the recipients the night before inviting them to a customer appreciation event. Simmons noted AAFES randomly selected existing layaways, keeping an eye out for those which included toys for young children.

Pay Away the Layaway is a nonprofit organization that raises money online to pay off layaway balances to achieve its stated mission to inspire hope and spread kindness. In all, several thousands of dollars of layaways were paid off in the last week of November for 44 military Families from Fort Carson; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Polk, Louisiana; and Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

“It makes my heart swell … to know I can help someone who has a limited (holiday) budget,” said Stephanie Bernstein, main store manager, Fort Carson Exchange.

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Santa Claus joins in on the excitement as Fort Carson Army and Air Force Exchange Service customers are informed their holiday layaway balances have been paid in full through the Pay Away the Layaway program Nov. 29, 2018. (Photo by Devin Fisher)

The Fort Carson store received gift cards which they, in turn, applied to pay off the existing balances.

“It’s very emotional because it is very unexpected, which normally comes with a random act of kindness like this, because it is totally unexpected,” Simmons said.

Pay Away the Layaway recipients were moved by the generosity of those who donated funds to make strangers’ holidays a bit bigger and brighter.

“It is pretty awesome … they are going to make two kids really happy this Christmas,” said Pvt. Angel Rosa, a truck driver with the 759th Military Police Battalion.

“Part of the Exchange’s mission is supporting the Families of warfighters, especially military children who often spend holidays apart from extended family,” Exchange Senior Enlisted Adviser Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes said in an AAFES release. “By working with Pay Away the Layaway, we can bring cheer and relief to some of the best customers in the world throughout the holiday season.”